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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 11/03/1988 - City CouncilSPECIAL MEETING NOVEMBER 3, 1988 The Special Meeting of the McHenry City Council was called to Council order by Mayor Busse on Thursday, November 3, 1988 at 8 P.M. at City Meeting Hall. At roll call the following Aldermen were present: Bolger, Nolan, Attendance Lieder, Smith, McClatchey, Patterson, Serritella. Teta arrived at 8:47 P.M. Absent: None. City staff in attendance were Clerk Gilpin, Park Director Merkel, Director of Development Greenwood. Absent: Attorney Narusis, Superintendent Batt, Chief Joyce, Finance and Personnel Administrator Vitas. Plan Commission Members in attendance: Sheppard, Gutierrez, Osmon, Toole, Dttich, Wilson. Absent: None. Members in the audience were: Ron Bykowski, Dave Gelwicks, Fran Olsen, and Dennis Wonderlick of the McHenry Area Economic Development Commission, Bill Howenstine, Butch Meyer and John Schroeder. John Gann of Gann & Associates was also in attendance to review his report on City of McHenry development factors for updating the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Gann is the president of Gann Associates who Comprehens. also worked on the 1986 revision of the City of McHenry Zoning Plan Update Ordinance. The City engaged his firm to work on updating the Comprehesive Plan. He is familiar with the City of McHenry following work on several other projects in the City. This is the fourth Comprehensive Plan for the City of McHenry, the last being 1981. The meeting tonight was to review the development factors as outlined in John Gann's report which was distributed to City Council Members, Plan Commission Members and EDC Members prior to this meeting. Gann was present to solicit reaction to his report. This is the first of three meetings. The second meeting will deal with future development policy alternatives. Comments taken from this first meeting tonight will be utilized by Gann to develop plan alternatives. The final meeting will present a plan of the development for the entire City and that will then go to a public hearing process. Gann in his opening remarks said that after working with the City of McHenry two years ago he found that McHenry is the kind of town that likes to do things itself; doesn't like people coming in from out of town and telling the City Council what it ought to do and what it needs. Therefore, he designed this program a few months ago - not to do a new plan for the City but to help the City do a new plan itself. Gann stated, "We hope to come out of this project within the next few months with something that won't be John Gann's plan but something that is going to be the City's Plan. Something that you feel comfortable with and expresses your objectives, priorities, interests and that you can stand by and implement without any reservations." Gann said "We would like to do this in three stages. The first stage is analysis of the development factors, which is what we want to do tonight. By reviewing this report and trying to answer the questions of, what do we know about McHenry and the McHenry area and what does it mean? What are the implications and the consequences of what we know about the facts and figures of McHenry?" "The second stage is to develop alternatives. If a concensus is reached tonight as to what the significant things of our current situations are and what they mean for the future, the next question to thinks of is, what are the different ways that the City could develop in the future and what are the consequences, both positive and negative, of each." "Finally, the third stage is after we have looked at some development alternatives with you, we will bring you a draft plan that hopefully will express the City's interests, concerns, and selections as a candidate for a new plan for the City of McHenry." "In these three stages we are going to bring you a simplified version of a planning process. One that will be tailored to the hands-on involvement that the Plan Commision and City Council here like to be involved in. The simplification of the normal planning process is also made necessary by a very tight time schedule." "Because the City is feeling so many development pressures these days, it does not want to take the normal one to two years that the traditional comprehensive plan preparation process takes. What we are going to try to do is cut the fat out of the traditional planning process without cutting out too much muscle - something that gets to the bottom line quickly but yet doesn't sacrifice anything that is really important." Thursday, November 3, 1988 Page 2 Gann's two objectives were first to review the report that was sent out and answer any questions. Secondly, to get reactions to it. Gann remarked that he did sense from recent contacts with the City that, "McHenry is changing. The community is changing physically. Some of the attitudes are changing. Development is being looked at a little differently. Tonight we would like to get a deeper sense as to how that has changed." Each member of the City Council and Plan Commission expressed their feelings on the report and what they would like to see done to update the Comprehensive Plan. Some of the main concerns were: the heavy traffic downtown; what type of bypass should be planned around the town to alleviate the traffic situation; revitalization or study of downtown areas; the need for more off-street parking in downtown areas; the removal of parking along the highways; what type of new development do we want and where this development should go; the designation of areas for future commercial, business park, industrial park, multi -family and single family residences; put a renewed emphasis on open spaces and landscaping of commercial and industrial areas; try to maintain the rural atmosphere; take into considertion population growth and economics; develop a plan that is flexible; study why other downtown areas have not been successful and use that information to make sure our downtown revitalization is successful; maintain and improve the quality of residential developments; establish where various zoning districts should be; enhance and utilize the riverfront; develop bikeways; develop a full service industrial park; develop bypass areas around the City; how to use a TIF District to revitalize the downtown areas; re -study the property needed for park development in the City since the City park programs serve many more people than the 14,000 in city limits. Mayor Busse called for a recess at 9:43 P.M. The meeting reconvened at 9:52 P.M. Discussion continued on the above points. In other business the City Council was informed that a surety bond in the amount of $94,000 had been received from Amoco Oil Company for lots 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the A.M. Kaufman subdivision located at Elm Street and Ringwood Road to ensure the installation of water and sewer lines. On May 23, 1980, the City of McHenry recorded a notice in the McHenry County Recorders Office against those lots in the A.M. Kaufman subdivision which stated that no building or structure can be erected, constructed or maintained on any of the lots until some assurance was received that the utility lines would be installed. Motion by Smith, seconded by Serritella, to accept the surety Letters bond from Amoco Oil Company and issue building permits for said lots for of Credit construction of an Amoco Service Station at the corner of Elm Street and & Ringwood Road. Surety Bonds Voting Aye: Bolger, Nolan, Lieder, Teta, Smith, McClatchey, Serritella. Voting Nay: Patterson. Absent: None. Motion carried. Mayor Busse called for a recess at 10:35 P.M. The meeting reconvened at 10:40 P.M. with all Aldermen in attendance accept McClatchey and Patterson who left the meeting. Mayor Busse announced the appointment of Brian Adams of 3720 W. Employees Maple Avenue as a Public Works employee to be hired at Grade 4, Step 1 and the appointment of Judith Kick of 5404 Abbey Drive for a Community Service Officer to be hired at a Grade 1, Step 1 salary. Motion by Lieder, seconded by Teta, to approve the Mayor's appointments as presented. Voting Aye: Bolger, Nolan, Lieder, Teta, Smith, Serritella. Voting Nay: None. Absent: McClatchey, Patterson. Motion carried. Motion by Smith, seconded by Nolan, to adjourn. Voting Aye: Bolger, Nolan, Lieder, Teta, Smith, Serritella. Voting Nay: None. Absent: McClatchey, Patterson. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 43 P.M.